My father once told me that respect for truth comes close to being the basis for all morality. 'Something cannot emerge from nothing,' he said. This is profound thinking if you understand how unstable 'the truth' can be.
Frank HerbertRead
There is in each of us an ancient force that takes and an ancient force that gives. A man finds little difficulty facing that place within himself where the taking force dwells, but it's almost impossible for him to see into the giving force without changing into something other than man. For a woman, the situation is reversed. ... These things are so ancient within us that they're ground into each separate cell of our bodies... It's as easy to be overwhelmed by giving as by taking.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote explores the complex nature of giving and taking within human beings, highlighting the internal struggles associated with both forces.
Frank Herbert's quote delves deep into the duality of human nature, illustrating how both men and women experience the forces of giving and taking differently. He suggests that while it is easier for men to confront their tendencies to take, they struggle with the deeper connection to their capacity to give, which can lead to significant transformation. For women, the reverse is true; the act of giving can feel overwhelmingly powerful, yet challenging to navigate. This distinction draws attention to the age-old dynamics of human interaction and the internal battles we face regarding our innate impulses.
Themes
GivingTakingHuman NatureForceSelfChange
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about compassion, this quote would illustrate the importance of understanding both our giving and taking sides.
More from Frank Herbert
All quotes →If you need something to worship, then worship life - all life, every last crawling bit of it! We're all in this beauty together!
Frank HerbertRead
Religion must remain an outlet for people who say to themselves, "I am not the kind of person I want to be." It must never sink into an assemblage of the self-satisfied.
Frank HerbertRead
To know a thing well, know it's limits; Only when pushed beyond it's tolerance will it's true nature be seen. -The Amtal Rule
Frank HerbertRead
Technology tends toward avoidance of risks by investors. Uncertainty is ruled out if possible. People generally prefer the predictable. Few recognize how destructive this can be, how it imposes severe limits on variability and thus makes whole populations fatally vulnerable to the shocking ways our universe can throw the dice.
Frank HerbertRead
It is impossible to live in the past, difficult to live in the present and a waste to live in the future.
Frank HerbertRead
Similar quotes
You cannot tackle hunger, disease, and poverty unless you can also provide people with a healthy ecosystem in which their economies can grow.
Gro Harlem BrundtlandRead
Secrecy is as indispensable to human beings as fire, and as greatly feared.
Sissela BokRead
And you should not let yourself be confused in your solitude by the fact that there is something in you that wants to move out of it.
Rainer Maria RilkeRead
When the gods wish to punish us they answer our prayers.
Oscar WildeRead
Americans are willing to go to enormous trouble and expense defending their principles with arms, very little trouble and expense advocating them with words. Temperamentally we are ready to die for certain principles (or, in the case of overripe adults, send youngsters to die), but we show little inclination to advertise the reasons for dying.
E. B. WhiteRead
Peace?' said Vetinari. 'Ah, yes, defined as period of time to allow for preparation for the next war.
Terry PratchettRead